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Press Releases
The Gilmore and Le Piano Symphonique Strengthen Their Transatlantic Piano Alliance with Concerts Featuring Rising Star Sophia Liu
| MICHIGAN, U.S. (For Release 06.22.26) — The Gilmore and Le Piano Symphonique, the Lucerne-based piano festival presented by the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester, today announced their latest collaboration celebrating and promoting exceptional young pianists. In a new approach to fostering promising talent and enriching the piano repertoire, the two institutions have jointly chosen Sophia Liu, one of the brightest stars of her generation, to perform a dual-continent recital bridging the Atlantic: on September 20, 2026, at The Gilmore Rising Stars Series in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and on January 16, 2027, at the sixth edition of Le Piano Symphonique in Lucerne, Switzerland. While distinct in location and focus, The Gilmore and Le Piano Symphonique share a deep connection through their programming of world-renowned classical and jazz pianists, artist collaborations and international arts partnerships. Conceived by their respective Executive and Artistic Directors — The Gilmore’s Pierre van der Westhuizenand Le Piano Symphonique’s Numa Bischof Ullmann — this new initiative to stage an ocean-spanning concert series offers a glimpse into the future of piano music. “We are thrilled to partner with Le Piano Symphonique, an exceptional organization that shares our core values of identifying and nurturing young pianists. By teaming up internationally, we create a truly global launchpad for the next generation while giving audiences worldwide a rare opportunity to experience the brilliant artistry of pianist Sophia Liu.” — Pierre van der Westhuizen, Executive and Artistic Director, The Gilmore “The Gilmore and Le Piano Symphonique share a common vision: to discover and foster exceptional talent and to allow artists to share the depth and breadth of the piano repertoire with audiences around the world.” — Numa Bischof-Ullman, Artistic and Executive Director, Le Piano Symphonique This marks the second collaboration with The Gilmore and Le Piano Symphonique. Just this past year, they co-presented The Kalamazoo Flow (2026), a new solo piano work commissioned by The Gilmore from leading Swedish composer Anders Hillborg. The 2024 Gilmore Artist winner Alexandre Kantorow first premiered it in January 2026 at Le Piano Symphonique then in May 2026 at the Irving S. Gilmore International Piano Festival. * * *
SOPHIA LIU At just 17, Canadian pianist Sophia Liu is rapidly emerging as one of the most compelling artists of her generation. Her “extremely clear, delicate, refined and almost supernaturally fluid” touch, as described by Le Monde, combined with what Bachtrack called her “phenomenal virtuosity”, has captivated audiences around the world. Sophia Liu opened her 2025/26 season with her debut with the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo and Osaka, performing Camille Saint-Saëns’s Piano Concerto No. 2 under the baton of Eva Ollikainen. Further highlights of the season included recitals at the Konzerthaus Berlin, Festival International de Piano de La Roque d’Anthéron, Festival Radio France Occitanie Montpellier, Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Opéra National de Lyon, Tiroler Festspiele Erl, La Folle Journée in Nantes and Tokyo, Bologna Festival, Musashino Cultural Foundation and Tokyo Yamaha Hall. In North America, she performed recitals in Boston, Minnesota, Florida and Portland, and appeared as a soloist with the Vancouver Symphony and Calgary Philharmonic. During the 2026/27 season, Sophia Liu will debut with orchestras including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Sinfonica di Bari, Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali and Auckland Philharmonia, to name only a few. Recent engagements have included performances with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice at La Folle Journée de Nantes and the Orchestre National de Cannes at La Roque d’Anthéron. Sophia Liu is also internationally active as a recitalist. Throughout the 2026/27 season, she is Artist-in-Residence at the Unione Musicale di Torino, and elsewhere will perform at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Hamarikyu Asahi Hall in Tokyo, Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall, Vancouver Recital Society, among others. In recent years, she has appeared at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, the International Chopin Piano Festival in Duszniki-Zdrój, the International Chopin and His Europe Festival in Warsaw, Festival La Grange de Meslay, Place des Arts in Montréal, the National Theater and Concert Hall in Taipei and the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts – Weiwuying. Born in Shanghai, Sophia Liu was raised in Japan before moving to Montréal at the age of seven to study with Dang Thai Son. She has won several prizes at international piano competitions, including First Prize at the 18th Ettlingen International Piano Competition, First Prize at the Thomas & Evon Cooper International Competition and various awards at the first edition of the Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli International Piano Competition. In October 2025, she released her first solo studio album, featuring Liszt’s Réminiscences de Norma and Chopin’s Andante spianato et Grande Polonaise. LE PIANO SYMPHONIQUE
Founded in 2022 by the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester (Lucerne Symphony Orchestra), Le Piano Symphonique has quickly established itself as one of Switzerland’s leading international piano festivals. Held annually in Lucerne, the festival explores the piano in all its facets — as a solo instrument, in chamber music and in symphonic dialogue with orchestra. Under the artistic direction of Numa Bischof Ullmann, Le Piano Symphonique brings together outstanding international artists, rising talents and distinctive festival formats in the unique setting of the KKL Luzern and other venues across the city. “A piano festival of exceptional caliber,” remarked the host of Swiss Radio SRF in his report on the 2025 edition of Le Piano Symphonique, joining the chorus of international praise that the festival has continuously received since its founding in 2022. The star of the piano festival remains, in its upcoming sixth edition from January 11 to 17, 2027. The Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, the initiator and central orchestra of the festival, effectively showcases world stars such as Hélène Grimaud and Gilmore Artist Alexandre Kantorow, as well as first-class chamber musicians and promising newcomers, resulting in inspiring and surprising performances for audiences.
THE GILMORE Created in 1989 to honor the legacy of businessman and philanthropist Irving S. Gilmore, The Gilmore is the premier institution in the United States dedicated exclusively to commissioning, presenting and awarding extraordinary piano artistry. The Gilmore has presented 16 piano festivals, commissioned more than 45 new works for piano, and awarded over $3 million through its internationally renowned awards programs, including the Gilmore Artist Award and Gilmore Young Artist Award for classical pianists, and the Larry J. Bell Jazz Artist Award and Larry J. Bell Young Jazz Artist Award for jazz pianists. Based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, The Gilmore hosted its annual (previously biennial) Gilmore International Piano Festival April 30-May 10, 2026, with the next Festival set to take place April 27-May 9, 2027. Year-round, The Gilmore continues to impact the lives of thousands of area children and adults through its community engagement and music education programs including summer camps, music therapy, and much more. Since 1999, The Gilmore Rising Stars Series has presented many fine young pianists before their international breakthroughs, offering audiences a chance to hear the leading pianists of the future. Past Gilmore Rising Stars include Lang Lang, Igor Levit, Connie Han, and Emmet Cohen.
PROGRAM TICKET INFORMATION: SUN September 20, 2026, at 4:00 ET | RISING STARS: SOPHIA LIU THE GILMORE, 359 Kalamazoo Mall, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA Tickets: Tickets go on sale August 6, 2026. To reserve, visit TheGilmore.org or call 269.359.7311. SAT January 16, 2027, at 12:00 UHR | LUNCH CONCERT WITH SOPHIA LIU LE PIANO SYMPHONIQUE, Hotel Schweizerhof, Lucerne, Switzerland Tickets: Tickets are now on sale at SinfonieOrchester.ch. Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813 – 1883) Le Preux, op. 17 | 6’ 12 Etudes in All the Minor Keys, op. 39 | 10’ X Allegretto alla barbaresca Recueil de Chants, op. 65 | 4’ VI Barcarolle 12 Etudes in All the Minor Keys, op. 39 | 10’ XII Le Festin d’Ésope. Allegretto senza licenza quantunque Frédéric Chopin (1810 – 1849) Polonaise Heroic in A-flat major, op. 53 | 8’ Pjotr Iljitsch Tschaikowsky (1840 – 1893) Nutcracker-Suite, arr. Mikhail Pletnev, op. 71a | 17’ The Seasons, op. 37a | 19’ VI June: Barcarolle VIII August: The Harvest IX September: The Hunt XI November: Troika XII December: Christmas Mili Balakirew (1837 – 1910) Islamey – Oriental Fantasy, op. 18 | 8’ # # #
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